2018 / 19 September Updates

1st September 2018

A new academic year has now started and it has seemed to come around very quickly.

We have reveiwed a number of areas and have identified some improvements. WE are also in the process of improving the reporting of Apprenticeship funding for Levy / Non Levy provision so expected to see this in the future.

Spring Updates - Windows Server Installation

1st April 2018

After careful consideration, over the past 3 months, we have made changes to allow the ILR Analysis System now to be installed on a Windows Server. Apache, MySQL and PHP are still a requirement however with the option of installing the ILR Analysis System onto a Windows Server, this should broaden the reach and appeal of this system to a wider range of colleges.

Winter Updates - Apprenticeship Reporting / System Updates

1st January 2018

Well, it has been a little while since our last update however we have been active in the development of the ILR Analysis System. There have been many areas of development which include:

• Apprenticeship Reporting

  With Levy and Non-Levy Apprenticeships starting to become clearer, we have added a number of reports to help identify these and also show any missing payments that you may be due.

• FIS 16/17 Uploads

  We have now made available FIS 16/17 upload capabilites. This means you can now upload 16/17 FIS files for free and be able to report on this data as needed.

• Underlying System Updates

  In order to allow us to manage the underlying system more efficiently, we have re-structured the code base. This should infact improve the speed of the system and reduce the memory needed to run the ILR Analysis System.

September Updates - Local Installation

1st September 2017

A new academic year has now started and so does the busiest time of year. During the summer, we have been liaising with a number of colleges whom have mentioned that a local install of the ILR Analysis System would greatly benefit their college. We have been investigating this option and will release very soon a local install version. This version will be available from our downloads section of our website. We certainly hope this will allow you to trail our system in the security of your local environments.

Vist our download section now to start trialling our ILR Analysis System.

July Updates - Server Upgrades

8th July 2017

We have undertaken a number of server upgrades over the last month to make this service more scaleable and more efficient. We are also adding additional reports which will allow to identify vulnerable group of learners

June Updates - Uploading Feedback / Apprenticeship Standards

1st June 2017

The first half of May has been busy but it has also been challenging in regards to apprentice standards. We have done:

• Uploading Feedback

  When uploading you ILR mdb file, we have significantly improved the feedback so you now know the progress being made when uploading and processing your file.
  
  

• Apprenticeship Standards Funding

  With the new apprenticeship standards funding methodology, funding is only being generated via the Hub reports which makes it very challenging to report any financial data. Once we have the template of the Hub generated funding reports, we will assess how to include this information within our system.

May Updates - Reporting and data changes

1st May 2017

In April, we have been thinking about how we can make data changes easier to identify so we have looked into:

• Data Changes

  Within all data reports, options are now available to show how data has changed since the previous FIS file.

• Data Changes Summary

  Along with the changes, we now summarise the changes at the top of each report to give a quick summary.

April Updates - Test Data / Stress Testing

3rd April 2017

Throughout March we have focused upon improving the system as a whole which includes:

• Dashboard

  We've re-designed the dashboard to show how your latest ILR is performing along with how financial improvements can be made to your data.

• Test Data

  Significantly improved depth, breadth and quality of test data to give a more realistic outcome when using the reports

• Stress Testing

  We have been putting our system under heavy loads to identify where improvement in reliability and speed can be made. We have significantly sped up FIS MDB importing and reporting, allowing you to report on your data immediately.

March Updates - Report Enhancements

1st March 2017

Our March updates include:

• General Fixes

  We have identified and fixed a number of small bugs in our software

• Report Details

  We have reviewed all of our reports and added more detail and are confident the additional information will help support understandings

• Report Summary

  We've added summary information for each report, providing you a glance of the outcomes before even running the report itself. This will allow you to know whether the report is of relevance. This information is updated when a new FIS mdb is uploaded.

Management KPI - Enhancements

1st February 2017

We have continued to make further enhancements to the management KPI reports which include

• Reporting

  Every KPI report will now allow drill in so you can scurtinise the data that makes up the report.

• Additonal reports

  We have added another 50 data reports to give further information about your data with now over 250 reports in total

Management KPI

3rd January 2017

Firstly, happy new year to all. We have continued to make further improvements, enhancements and bug fixes to the ILR analysis system which include

• Management KPI

  We have added a dedicated Management KPI report for senior managers. We believe the information provided in this report will help improve the efficiency of your institution and be able to cut unneccasry costs.

• FIS Imports

  Recent changes to our FIS importing software and changes to FIS data types meant that some columns weren't being imported in a way we were expecting. These issues have been fixed.

• General System Improvement

  We have been going through our reports to ensure information is clear and detailed and we made small changes across many

System Updates

1st December 2016

We have been working hard on improving the service we provide. We have made radical system updates which include

• Map Generation

  Significantly improve the loading speed of mapping reports.

• Map Generation

  Significantly reduced the Mb size of mapping reports.

2016/17 Funding Information System - Preparation

1st August 2016

Since our last blog update, we have been preparing our systems for 2016/17 specifications. The list of changes include:

• Funding Information System - MDB Changes

  At the time of publication, the FIS hasn't yet officially released the 2016/17 component set but have replicated 2015/16 processes so far.

• ILR

  New and removed fields from the 2016/17 ILR specifications are now included within the ILR Analysis System

• LARS Updates

  New funding models have been added into LARS and the ILR Analysis System will take these into account.

• New Reports

  We are looking into the new specifications and looking how we can utilise new data fields for new reports

50 Additional Reports

30th June 2016

This month, our developers have been extending their work within the reporting section and include a number of improvements which are:

• Marker Pins added within Mapping Options

  Pinpoint exactly where locations are.

• Additonal reports

  We have added another 50 data and mapping reports to give further information about your data

• Database refinements to reduce the time to report your data

  After database analysis, we have made further improvements in reducing the time it takes to report your data.

Map Generation Improvements

19th June 2016

This month, our developers have been focusing their work within the reports but more specifically the generation of the maps themselves. The list of work included:

• Complete set of boundaries for
  • Local Authorities and Unitary Authorities
  • Counties and Cities
  • Postcode Areas
  • Postcode Districts
  • Postcode Sectors

  Additional boundary sets can be added on request

• Heatmap distance boundaries

  Distance markers at 3 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles and 20 miles to assist with distances being travelled.

• Increased accuracy of boundaries

  We have increased the number of points within the boundaries and the accuracy of the latitude and longitude points.

• Improve map generation speeds

  After analysis, we have streamlined javascript coding and reduced file sizes.

• Labelling throughout all maps

  For every area labelling has been added so you will know which area it is

• Map styling changes to improve contrast

  By removing roads, towns and cities, boundaries and their labels are better shown.

DataFE's ILR Analysis System - Released

1st June 2016

We are proud and excited to announce the release of DataFE's brand new ILR Analysis System designed specifically for the UK’s further education and sixth form sector.

The UK’s newest ILR Analysis System, realising the potential of your ILR data and turning your data into comprehensive business intelligence reports, charts and geographical maps.

We have worked very hard to design and produce a system which manages large amounts of data whilst maintaining speed and reliability. We are still classifying the system as being the Beta testing stages, however we believe our systems are stable now for release. You may however encounter the odd unexpected situation but our engineers will be able to investigate and resolve these quickly.

We are still looking to develop and improve the system further whilst adding additional reporting capabilities. Some of these improvements include:

• Additional geographic mapping boundaries
• Note recording facilities
• Adding EFA continuers funding for the next academic year report
• Adding User - Show password strength
• Improving feedback when uploading

We will keep you up-to-date with developments and improvements but if you have any ideas or requests for reports, please let us know.